Stars
by TheTigerLily
Summary: The night before he leaves her behind, Harry and Ginny talk about the future.


She was beautiful. Harry watched as Ginny sat down at the base of the apple tree in the Burrow's backyard. He wanted to kick himself for not noticing her for all those years. If he hadn't been so blind, they would have had years together. Years of being able to run his fingers through her hair, years of kissing in the common room, years of late-night clandestine meetings—like this one. He walked across the yard and sat beside her. "Hey Gin."

Ginny turned to him. Harry. Kind, wonderful Harry, who was pushing her away for her own protection. Sweet, stubborn Harry, who refused to believe that she was already a prime target in the war. Strong, brave Harry, who had taught her not to be afraid of the man who had once possessed her, to say Voldemort's name. He was everything to her. "Hi Harry."

Harry's breath caught in his throat at the sound of her whispered voice. His heart ached at the thought of leaving her behind. He wanted to just forget the war outside of the Burrow, to leave it for someone else to deal with. But he couldn't, no matter how badly he wanted to. The world was depending on him to protect them, and he couldn't forsake them for his own selfish desires.

The two sat in silence, gazing the stars above them. Harry spoke first. "When I was younger, I read somewhere that the stars are the souls of heroes that had died. I used to think that my mum and dad were there, watching over me. After Sirius died, I wondered if he was up there too."

Ginny was quiet for a moment. "When I was younger, I used to look at the stars and wonder what Charlie was doing, way out in Romania. Mum told me that no matter where in the world you are, we're all under the same sky." She looked at him. "I hope that, wherever you leave for tomorrow, you'll look at the stars and remember that I'll always be under your sky." She reached out and took his hand.

He sighed, a weary sound that carried the weight of the world. "I have to do it, Gin. If I don't stop him, this war will drag on forever. Countless people will die, families will be torn apart. All those who have already died—my parents, Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore— will have died for nothing. I need to stop this, even if I die trying."

Her grip tightened around his hand. "Don't you dare start with me, Harry! You will not die; I won't let you!" Ginny struggled to keep her voice down; everyone in the Burrow was asleep, and the last thing she needed was for her family to hear. "You will survive this war. You will win, and you will come back home so that Mum can choke you for all of the damage you could've done to yourself." Her voice softened. "You need to come back to me, because a life without you isn't worth living."

He turned to her in shock. "Ginny, no! You need to live, regardless of whether I live or die! I'm fighting this war for you, so that you can leave the Burrow without fearing for your life, without looking over your shoulder for Death Eaters." He stood, looking out towards the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. "You'll get over me, get married to some bloke that doesn't put you in danger because he's Undesirable Number One. You'll go on and have kids, with your red hair and his—" He choked on the Quaffle-sized lump in his throat that had formed at the thought of Ginny—his Ginny—with someone else.

She brought her hand to his back, rubbing circles between his shoulder blades, down the arch of his spine. "The only kids I'll have will have green eyes, Harry— your green eyes. They'll have messy hair that never lies flat, and they'll play Quidditch every morning in the backyard. They'll have a father who will be known as the man who took down Voldemort, who brought the wizarding world back to its feet." Her hand stilled, resting on the small of his back. "They'll be your kids, Harry. _Our_ kids."

Harry closed his eyes, holding back stinging tears. He could imagine it: He and Ginny, getting married, living in the Burrow, having kids that had his green eyes and her red hair, waking to her every morning for the rest of his life. Not even in his wildest dreams had he allowed himself to think of the future, not when so much hinged on the present. But sitting here with the woman he loved, the night air around them warm and comfortable, he indulged in the hope of a future past Voldemort, where Death Eaters and Horcruxes were merely an unpleasant memory of times long gone.

Ginny gently turned his face towards her, pale fingers skimming his jaw. "You **will **live, Harry. Voldemort doesn't understand love—it's the one thing he's afraid of. Use my love as a shield: Let it crash over you like waves on a sandy beach, and lose yourself in knowing that I will never let you go, that the bonds between us can weather anything. If you deny yourself that love, than he has already won, and you can't give him that victory. If you can't find the will to live for yourself, promise me that you'll live for my sake, for the thought of coming home to me."

He looked at her, bright green eyes unsure. "I can't promise that I'll come back. But if I do, then will you live with me? Stand by my side, forever?"

She smiled, resting her cheek against his, lips brushing his ear. "Always, Harry. You know that. You have ever been the other half of me, and I will stay with you until time itself unravels."

The two figures stood, nestled into one another, and the silver stars shimmered against the inky night sky.


End file.
